Starbucks Vietnam will support Room to Read’s Literacy Program in Vietnam, which seeks to transform the lives of children by developing literacy skills and the habit of reading among primary school students.

According to Ms. Patricia Marques, General Manager of Starbucks Vietnam, for every purchase of merchandise and bags of whole coffee beans from Starbucks Reserve Coffee Bar in Hanoi, VND20,000 ($1) will be donated to Room to Read. “This will support Room to Read’s literacy work and will result in a Vietnamese children’s book being published and distributed to hundreds of Room to Read libraries in government schools throughout Vietnam,” she said.

Founded in 2000 in the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children, Room to Read’s innovative model focuses on deep, systemic transformation within schools in low-income countries during the two time periods that are most critical in a child’s schooling: early primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school for girl’s education. The Room to Read program works in cooperation with local communities, partner organizations, and governments to develop literacy skills and the habit of reading among primary school children and ensures girls can complete secondary school with the skills necessary to negotiate key life decisions.

Room to Read has benefited 11.5 million children across more than 20,000 communities in 14 countries and aims to reach 15 million children by 2020.

Starbucks has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality Arabica coffee. With stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Starbucks opened its first store in Vietnam in February 2013, in Ho Chi Minh City, and now has 27 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with one Reserve store opened recently in Hanoi.